By Adam DeLamielleure, Troy Clogg Landscape Associates, LLC and MNLA's 2023 President

Recently, I have been working through the book “Intentional Living” by John Maxwell.  In one chapter, he talks about how grateful he is for the people who spoke into him throughout his life.  He calls them the people “who bring out the best of me.”  He shared a list of some of these people and what they taught or did for him.  You can see a blog post that speaks of this here:

https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/what-does-your-gratitude-list-look-like/

As I read this, something moved inside of me.  I thought it was a great idea and sat down and started my own list.  I was amazed by the amount of people who have spoken into me…people who bring or have brought out the best in me.  The more I listed, the more I remembered.

This is a powerful exercise and I recommend everyone doing it.  As I worked through it, I decided I would share a more specific list; people who have impacted my career in the Green Industry.  Of course, there are some people who bleed over from my personal and football lives.  Life is messy and very hard to live completely compartmentalized.   And who would really want to?  Passion is passion…growth is growth. We can never have enough.  If your passion or growth is stoked outside the industry and you bring it back…good.  

Here’s my list…

  • God - He created everyone and everything I love.  He made me the way I am and provided me with the experiences to become.  With Him, I have everything and without Him, I would have nothing.
  • Mom & Dad - They were with me every step of the way to listen, encourage, correct, and enjoy.  They taught me to value education and hard work.  
  • Dad - He makes the list twice.  There are too many lessons, and it is tough to pick just one.  Starting the day in the Bible, telling me I would never be “cool”, and “if you work for someone, work like you own the company” are three and some of the best.
  • Uncle Bud - He paved the way for me in many ways.  I can’t remember the times I met someone and they would say, “Do you know Bud?”  And when I asked him what I needed to do to have a career in the Green Industry, he gave me a path.
  • Bethleza and Joe (my sister and Brother-in-law) - They gave me my first job and a few more along the way.  They always encouraged my passion and loaned me money to start my business.
  • Mrs. Barbas - She also loaned me money to start my business.  She took me out to a steak lunch, reviewed my business plan, and believed I would be successful.  
  • Eric (my brother) – He advised how to start strong and build good habits (and a few bad ones).  When you start a certain way and the people you look up to are that way, you become that way too.
  • Mike Grasser - He taught me to run…everywhere. And about power angles (lol).  He showed me that a life in the Green Industry can look different than everyone else’s.
  • Dr. Schutzki - He taught me that I will be doing this my whole life.  Give other people a break and use opportunities in the Green Industry as a chance to have some adventures and fun.
  • Tom Niebauer - He gave a “contractor” a shot in sales.  My time with him transformed my career.
  • Donn Vidosh – He taught me how to set up a job and use every available resource to exceed anyone’s expectations.  And, that yellow pads of paper were perfect for lists.
  • Eric from Vidosh - I don’t know his last name, but he taught me to not compare my work ethic with others.  If I did, I would never be happy. (Pretty wise for a 22-year-old)
  • Ray Rodenburgh - A kindred spirit.  We had many conversations where we would share ideas and our passion.  He is kind and curious and demonstrates that it is never too late to learn.
  • Diane Williams - She wasn’t originally from the Green Industry, but our conversations always helped me to see things from a different perspective.  She’s my own personal “Jiminy Cricket”.
  • Troy Clogg - He taught me to have Vision and to work to make that Vision come true. You believe in me, trust me, and have given me a chance to “Transform some lives”.
  • Shaun - Once called and asked, “How do I do what you do?”  Then he went out and did it better than I could.  “Iron sharpens iron” has never been so true through our conversations and debates.
  • Michael - A young guy with passion who reminded me that I need to be working in my passion.
  • Matt Caruso - He reminded me that our lives have a purpose, and you should be able to share that purpose strongly and succinctly.  
  • Coach Mac (my football coach) - He tried to teach me that I needed to be a great teammate in high school.  I didn’t learn the lesson until my thirties and it changed everything.
  • The Kallio Brothers - My first two employees and now lifelong friends.  They were there when I started, and they worked harder than they should have.  They went without checks when they had to and supported my dreams.
  • Donny and Dennise Vidosh - That you can be proud of other people’s children by the lives they make.
  • Coach Jeff Henson - We walked the Jungle together for 13 years.  His leadership on the field helped me to lead better off the field.
  • Jose Ramirez - He taught me to have faith in other humans and how to speak Spanish.
  • Mr. Franani - How to lay sod. More importantly, you can do this work for a long time and teach generations how to do what you do.
  • The Moore Brothers - That one of the best things about the Green Industry is the stories.  They also tried really hard how to teach me to swear.
  • Pat Conroy, Ray Rogers, and Dick Angell - They presented at MSU and stoked my passion for the industry.  They were some of the guys “I wanted to be”.  Over the years, we shared a whole lot more than just that presentation.
  • Dave Quade - Gave me a loan so I could owe a bank instead of people I knew.
  • Becky - That women work as hard as men.  
  • Steve Johnson - He taught me to look for people who had a future in the Green Industry and to invest in them.  They can become great.
  • Tom Fouctman - He gave me a chance to work in Colorado which led me to one of my greatest adventures.  He also connected me with his mom for one of my first landscape jobs as an owner.  It was a hardscape job and was REALLY bad. (I’m sorry!)
  • Tim from Cocal - He told me I could work as much as I wanted but he was only going to pay me for 45 hours.  He admired my work ethic but encouraged me to use my time in Colorado to chase trout and rodeos.
  • Jesus Nava - That there people for which landscaping is way more than a job.  It’s art. It’s passion.
  • Luis Vasquez - We worked and grew together for a long time.
  • Katie - She married into the Industry and is still learning what it is all about.  She supports me and listens to my crazy ideas.
  • Savannah - My inspiration and a source of my joy.  Life is fuller because of her, and I only hope I can be a good Dad.  I want to share this passion with you.  I don’t care if you choose my passion, but I want you to have passion.

There are a few groups of people who I need to add to the list. If I listed the people individually, it would never finish.

  • TCLA Team - To step back and look at the work individuals do.  They all work on their own Masterpieces.
  • Unilock Team and Customers - For more than a decade, this was my work family.  We learned together. Laughed together. Supported each other.  Just did life together.  My life is fuller because of all of you.
  • The MNLA Staff and Board - These people have taught me what passion for the industry really looks like.  I cannot express my gratitude enough.  Each time we gather, I am invigorated and strengthened.  
  • The South Lyon Football Community - Coaches, players, and families…too many to list.  I am a Lion and will be for life.

If you finished this and didn’t see your name, I apologize.  I might have forgotten, but more likely, I ran out of space.  I could write volumes.  

The point is, very few of us are “self-made”.  We all have parts of others in us.  Hopefully, each of us have been impacted by too many people to remember.  When we intentionally remember those who have impacted us, and take the time to recognize them for this, it helps them and it helps us.  It gives the giver the respect they deserve and it makes us more grateful and more likely to be generous to someone else.  

Make your list today.  If you can, reach out some way to let them know they’re on it.   And, don’t be surprised if you find out you’re one someone else’s list.